Tag Archives: John Schneider

NFL draft, State of the team

More O-linemen to come, but when?

3 Comments

NFL draftDRAFT COUNTDOWN: 5 weeks. Every Thursday until the draft, we look at draft-related topics involving the Seahawks.

As positively as they try to spin it, it is clear Pete Carroll and John Schneider are not finished with their offensive line.

Carroll said Garry Gilliam can handle left tackle, Justin Britt will improve at left guard, Mark Glowinski is ready to start at right guard and J’Marcus Webb can be better at right tackle for them than he has been for other teams.

Carroll said Gilliam is “an athlete who is really equipped to play” left tackle, Glowinski is “a natural guard” who should “be a big factor” and Britt “is just going to continue grow as a guard.”

“We think those guards give us a really secure spot with big upside,” he said.

But there’s no way the Seahawks are going to training camp with just these guys and center Patrick Lewis. Even on the off chance that they do not add a veteran before the draft next month, they certainly are going to add at least a couple linemen during the draft.

Continue reading More O-linemen to come, but when? →

State of the team

Schneider, Carroll answer personnel questions

1 Comment

In addition to stating that Kam Chancellor will return to the Seahawks this year, John Schneider on Tuesday confirmed the Seahawks’ offensive line situation is indeed as shaky as we all think it is. He also discussed the plan for replacing Bruce Irvin and waved off any silly concerns that Marshawn Lynch is not really retiring.

With Russell Okung and J.R. Sweezy gone, the Seahawks’ line projects (from left to right) as Garry Gilliam, Justin Britt, Patrick Lewis, Mark Glowinski and J’Marcus Webb. If the Seahawks entered the season with that group, they would be in worse shape than they were with the 2015 line.

At the league meetings in Florida, Schneider confirmed that is where they are right now. And he hinted that the team might not add anyone before the draft.

As the line is constituted, Gilliam would battle career backup Bradley Sowell at left tackle while Webb would step in at right tackle, where Gilliam started in 2015. Schneider admitted they are grasping at straws, calling Sowell and Webb “prove-it signings.”

“That’s kind of the stage we are at right now,” the GM told The Seattle Times.

Continue reading Schneider, Carroll answer personnel questions →

Contracts, State of the team

Is Chancellor going to play nice or play elsewhere?

1 Comment

Kam Chancellor during the fourth quarter against Denver (Getty)Either Kam Chancellor is planning to play nice with the Seahawks this year or he is starting up a PR campaign.

How else do you explain the post Wednesday in which he said, “I’m not going anywhere. Seattle is my second home. I don’t plan on going anywhere unless some higher power places me elsewhere. #Loyalty #12s #LOB”

That clearly is a response to speculation that he might be traded this offseason — the logical assumption after he held out through the first two games last season and then appeared to play it safe after he came back (how many Bam Bam hits do you remember?).

Chancellor obviously is speaking to fans, perhaps trying to win back some of those who soured on him after his 2015 shenanigans. And he also is trying to absolve himself of any blame if the Seahawks — “some higher power” — do end up trading him.

But let’s get one thing straight: If the Seahawks do end up trading him, as many of us think they will, he will be the one to blame.

Continue reading Is Chancellor going to play nice or play elsewhere? →

Free agency, State of the team, The roster

We might not like it, but Hawks have their plan

Leave a comment

WebbIt’s easy to see why so many people are scratching their heads over the Seahawks’ underwhelming offensive line moves this week, especially when everyone seems to have a different opinion of where J’Marcus Webb will play.

But there is a method to Seattle’s madness — even if we might not agree with it.

First of all, remember that the Seahawks run a zone blocking scheme, which emphasizes mobility and teamwork over talent. Like it or not, that is the approach the Seahawks have taken the last four years — and apparently the approach they continue to take.

John Schneider said it himself at the Combine: “In terms of our philosophy, we are going to keep attacking it the same way we always have.’’

The Seahawks love size and versatility — and they got both in Webb and Bradley Sowell, the guys who ostensibly replace J.R. Sweezy and Alvin Bailey. Both are huge (Webb is 6-7, 335; Sowell 6-7, 315) and have played every position but center. The problem is neither is that talented.

Continue reading We might not like it, but Hawks have their plan →

It's bigger than football, NFL Combine, NFL draft

Carroll: Clark ‘a great kid in the program’

1 Comment

Frank ClarkA year ago at this time, the Seahawks were in the process of vetting Frank Clark — the controversial pass rusher they were targeting at the bottom of the second round.

They were ripped for the pick by almost every mainstream media outlet, and The Seattle Times did its own reverse investigation into Clark’s domestic incident and criticized the Seahawks’ background research into Clark. (For the record, we told everyone to lay off and trust the judgment of Pete Carroll and John Schneider.)

Not surprisingly (to us), Clark made it through his first season without drawing another bad word from anyone, and Carroll said Monday that the team monitored Clark closely — he reportedly continued counseling that he had started in Michigan — and “he was a great kid in the program.”

Continue reading Carroll: Clark ‘a great kid in the program’ →

CHAWK LINES, Free agency, NFL Combine
Leave a comment

chawk lines -- Combine

Combine logoAsked about Michael Bennett and Kam Chancellor, Pete Carroll said, “Really, the guys who are under contract can’t be the first-priority guys right now, in any order. We are really digging in, trying to keep our team together. And that will always be the way we go about it. We love Kam and Mike … and we are going to do all we can to make sure they can stay with us.”

Hiring Doug Hendrickson shows Bennett’s Lynch-like strategy.

Carroll said Jimmy Graham might not be ready until the end of training camp. That shadows our thought that the Seahawks will take it slow with him.

John Schneider talked about Marshawn Lynch and other topics.

Lynch is headed to Egypt for American Football Without Barriers — a group co-created by former Seahawk Breno Giacomini.

The offensive line is a major point of emphasis this offseason, although Carroll and Schneider don’t seem to concerned.

Russell Okung says, “It’s very possible that I could stay here. But I know my value, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that.”

Continue reading →

Contracts, Free agency

Okung, Schneider have talked, but expect LT to hit free agency

2 Comments

Russell Okung talks with GM John Schneider during minicamp in June (AP)Russell Okung and John Schneider already have had contract talks, and it is no surprise that the talented but injury-prone left tackle is going to hit free agency March 9.

“We’ve had some conversations. We’ve been going back and forth,” Okung told ESPN.com. “It’s going to come down to when free agency starts. So we may figure something out; we may not. It’s up in the air for now for us to come to terms.”

The Seahawks probably are not willing to pay Okung much more than they did on his rookie deal: $8 million a year. And he surely wants to hit the $10 million mark. The only way to find out whether some team will pay him is to become a free agent.

Actually, he should have a good idea even a couple of days before the league year begins, as prospective free agents officially can talk to teams ahead of the day.

We already addressed the idea of Okung possibly returning on a one-year deal if his market is not what he expects due to his shoulder injury (he won’t be ready for workouts until June).

“It’s very possible that I could stay here,” he said. “But I know my value, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that. If it works out, great. And if it doesn’t, that’s great as well.”

Continue reading Okung, Schneider have talked, but expect LT to hit free agency →

Contracts

Expect Hawks, Bennett to work it out

5 Comments

Bennett and LynchBarring a break from philosophy, the Seahawks will be able to do only so much for Pro Bowl defender Michael Bennett this offseason.

But it might be enough, if Bennett’s recent business move is any indication.

Neither John Schneider nor Pete Carroll has ruled out adjusting Bennett’s salary, which calls for $4 million plus $1 million in per-game bonuses, but both have cautioned against expecting too much.

Last month, Schneider told 710 ESPN, “It’s all on an individual basis. We’re going to do whatever we can to keep this puzzle together, but we can’t get out of whack either.”

On Thursday at the Combine, Carroll praised Bennett for his energy, leadership and consistency last season and said, “We’d like to reward everybody. Can’t always do that.”

Bennett surely is hoping to be an exception to the rule. Toward that end, he has switched agents.

Continue reading Expect Hawks, Bennett to work it out →

Injury report, State of the team

Hawks likely will take their time with Graham

Leave a comment

Graham out for season“It’s too early to tell” when Jimmy Graham will return from his torn patellar tendon, but we already know a few things: (1) The Seahawks are not going to get rid of the high-paid tight end this year; (2) they are probably going to take their time with his recovery; (3) he should be able to return to his previous standard of performance.

At the Combine on Wednesday, John Schneider said there is no timetable for the return of Graham, who is “doing great” while rehabbing in Miami.

“Obviously it was a devastating injury for us at the time,” Schneider said, “but he’s a great guy, got a great attitude about it, and he’s ready to get after it.”

Schneider said last month that Graham will be back with the Hawks — despite the wishes of some fans (in a Seattle Times poll, about 20 percent thought Graham would not be back).

The Seahawks’ MO always has been to let injured players recover, without altering their contracts, and then see how they perform the next season, so there was never any doubt Graham would be back. The question was and still is: When?

Continue reading Hawks likely will take their time with Graham →